July 4th Fireworks Safety

We’ll celebrate
our nation’s independence this week, also known as the 4th of July
and America’s birthday. If you accept that 1776 was the year of her birth, she
is now 243 years old! I have some really fond memories of past 4th
of July celebrations. Family, food, and “blowin’ stuff up” are some of the
highpoints of those for me. As I’ve gotten older and wiser (?) I realize that
some of the chances I used to take when old enough to begin buying and lighting
off my own fireworks makes me lucky to still have all my digits today. Since
this article is about safety, I will refrain from describing some of the things
me and my siblings did back in the day. Suffice to say, close calls, property
damage and minor injuries did occur. Since no one wants to be injured or have
property damaged by fireworks, let’s review some basic safety tips that should
allow us all to enjoy this 4th of July much more safely.

Buy them Legally. Purchase fireworks only from areas near where you plan to use them. Going out of area to get bigger and better may not only break the law where you live, but also exposes you and others to greater danger as well. Any firework wrapped in plain brown paper are designed for professional use only. Stay clear of these. (Experience speaking here!)

Watch the Kids. Don’t allow young children to handle fireworks. Sparklers, seemingly targeted directly at younger children, can burn at 2000 degrees! That’s like letting a kid handle a stick welder. Older kids should always have adult supervision because for some reason they like to push boundaries and safety isn’t usually a major concern for themselves. (Experience speaking here, I was once an older kid myself!) You should also watch out for your pets as some can be terribly frightened by all the light and noise while others might try to run in and grab the lit firework. Keep your pets safe by keeping them indoors or well leashed.

Don’t Drink and Fire. Shooting off fireworks while impaired can lead to some very poor decisions concerning safety (experience definitely speaking here) as well as an inability to even move away from them after lighting. Like you should be handing the keys to your vehicle to someone else when impaired, so should you hand off that punk or lighter.

PPE is Needed. Anyone lighting or standing near where they are being lit, should wear eye protection. Consider gloves as well. They can protect you from the sparks that lit fuses sometimes toss.

Respect the Firework. Designed to rise into the sky, blow up or emit showers of sparks, use some common sense when selecting the location to fire them off. Don’t use them indoors, keep your firing area away from people, structures, or flammable materials (wheat fields are flammable, experience speaking here.) and keep a bucket of water, fire extinguisher or garden hose ready to help put out small fires if they get started. Always follow the lighting instructions on the package, but generally set them on the ground or on a low, flat, stable, nonflammable surface, light them and move away. Never place any part of your body over the top of a firework you are trying to light and don’t hold a lit firework in your hands. Make sure they are 100% done before picking them up and don’t try to relight one that has failed to go off.

Cleaning Up. Shooting off fireworks creates a lot of debris. Whether cleaning up is being done as you go, or it waits until the following morning when the sun comes up, (not nearly as much fun as shooting them off) make sure that all debris is thoroughly wetted or dropped into a bucket of water to fully extinguish any residual hot spots. A number of house fires every year are started because fireworks debris was tossed into a trash bin, rolled up to its usual storage position against the side of the house, and the unextinguished debris caught fire within.

Let the Experts put on the Show. Probably the safest, and least expensive option, especially with the Chinese trade tariffs in place now, is for us all to grab a blanket or lawn chair and locate a professional display to enjoy. A quick check of the local newspaper or a web search of “fireworks show near me” should offer a number of possibilities. And you won’t have to clean up afterward either. (Worst job on the planet, especially if hungover, experience speaking here.)

There a few
other safety concerns that should be mentioned, one of which is with the food.
Grandma’s potato salad is delicious, but allow that to warm in the sun too long
and it can cause some nasty stomach issues. (Experience speaking here.) Other
food items can become a problem as well. Keep cold things cold, hot things hot
and refrigerate leftovers as soon as possible to avoid those possibilities.
Insects can be a hazard as well. Slapping at Mosquitos all night long and
scratching at bites they leave behind is no fun at all. Ticks can also be a
problem. The biggest concern here though is due to the illnesses they can
transmit. Use a bug spray to keep them at bay. Sunburn is another hazard that
we face. Using sunscreen or wearing clothing that covers your arms and legs
will protect you here. And don’t forget your head, especially if it’s bald! J Don’t take any chances this year during
your celebrations, be safe!